Sodality (series)
Sodality (formerly known by the working title Cataclysmic Horizons) is an alternate history science fiction superhero serial of planned books, intended to become a TV series. It is similar in nature to Stationery Voyagers, except for being set in a variation of the Gerosha Universe. It depicts a world in which the United States ceases to exist as a country in the year 2018, combined with a story about a group of superheroes who must come together and rebuild their civilian lives, in the wake of a political tragedy they were unable to prevent. On the side, their need to rid the world of their prime enemy, the Hebbleskin Gang; requires them to band together to form the Sodality of Gerosha. They must do so in cooperation with the Phaelite Society-controlled oversight organization known as "SCALLOP," which has numerous other enemies that include the Society of the Icy Finger. Central protagonists in the series are reinterpretations of major names in Gerosha mythos. The central team, or "Founding Elites," consists of Ciem, Emeraldon, Botan the Plant-Man, Jackrabbit, Earwig, Laurie Pegol, Miranda Kanla, Meerkat, Mukade, and Emily Cormier. They eventually gain several new allies from amongst the "Legends" and their associates: the Gray Champion, Extirpon, Navyrope, Mapacha, Pilltar, Strawberry, Hea Pang, Tabitha Pang, Tiffany Sterlie, and Jordan Sterlie. They also have to deal with friends-turned-rivals Jordan "Sapphire King" Reddlwick and Celia "Taterbug" Winehart. Sodality is the first major Dozerfleet Comics work to have its concept art be shot primarily in 3D, employing both traditional red-cyan and American Paper Optics' TrioScopic™ anaglyph techniques. Synopsis Season one Main article: Sodality: Season One After the Obama administration forces the United States into complete financial ruin, the nation gets split in four. The Hebbleskin Gang takes over the northwest, calling its new nation "Netheel." They set to work creating Meethexes and Meethexos, and plotting to expand their political influence. They also plot to eradicate all Phexos, and exact revenge on the Phaelites that frustrated their efforts during the Battle for Gerosha. Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Missouri come together to form the nation of Toklisana, a remnant of what the US used to be. California and a few other states become a colony of China, dubbed "Chimerica." The eastern US and most of the Midwest, however, is taken over by the Muslim Brotherhood. After a year of empty promises that they'd allow registered Toklisanans to leave on a schedule, Affadidah's regime in "Ameristan" reneges on its promise. Several Toklisanans are trapped behind enemy lines, and death camps for them begin popping up all over the war-torn countryside. After escaping one of those death camps, a young Centhuen Prototype woman named Candi Flippo shares the story of how she got her centipede powers with a fellow escapee: a young housewife named Dolly Malestrom. Dolly informs Candi that the regime formed a temporary truce with the Hebbleskin Gang to help eliminate anyone that could be a threat to both - namely Phexos like Candi. Her husband, Jeraime, was captured by the Hebbleskin Gang because of his knowledge on how to fight Phexos and Meethexos. The girls also believe that he may have connections to a hacker that can breach "The Wall," a force shield along the border between Netheel, Toklisana, and Ameristan. Duke Arfaas and Affadidah agreed to erect it so as to keep Toklisanans from ever making it back to their homeland. Candi recruits Dolly to the resistance force that she's already a part of, where her godfather Imaki Izuki and boyfriend Donte McArthur plot to organize an exodus effort to flee Ameristan - along with several ideologically-likeminded other registered Toklisanans. They lost the best hacker they had who could breach the wall a short time earlier: Candi's sister Miriam Flippo. This is because Miriam and her boyfriend Phil Couric tried to create a similar breach and organize an escape. However, Miriam was among the few that successfully made with through alive. , Donte, Imaki, and Dolly. Original 2D high-quality here. 3D high-quality views: • ]] It is revealed that Miriam has moved to Hong Kong, where she ends up gang-pressed by agents of the Chinese Ministry of State Security in an effort to counteract growing Hebbleskin Gang influence in China. With the help of her new boyfriend, scientist Steve McLaine, they try to bring down Hebbleskin technology that arrives in Hong Kong. Her Chinese friends go by codenames: Black Rat, Teal Hog, Stung Hornet, and Tin Dragon. Meanwhile, a displaced Apache named Jack Mercreek becomes a vigilante known as "Jackrabbit." He works with his friends, who have their own private radio network, to track down Hebbleskin Gang activity in Toklisana. He uncovers a plot to capture several Phexos and Phaelite supporters, and execute them publicly, when Duke Arfaas hovers his doomsday ship over Houston. If the plan succeeds, Houston will be compromised. The rest of Toklisana could fall. However, the storage location for Arfaas' operations in Toklisana remains unknown. His girlfriend, Miranda, is abducted by Don the Psycho. He believes that due to her family's support for the Phaelites, Miranda is a target for extermination. She reformed him from his past life as a notorious womanizer, and feels he owes it to her to save her life. Alas, Jack's efforts lead to him getting involved in a constant game of cat-and-mouse with Don the Psycho. It turns out, Don and Candi also share an unpleasant history with one another. Amidst this backdrop, Imaki trains Candi to use her centipede abilities to become a freedom fighter named Ciem. Candi plots to marry Donte after they've made it across the border. Donte, who was defending Evansville as Emeraldon up until the political collapse of America, looks forward to marrying Candi just as eagerly. Along the way, the resistance forces and regime alike must overcome a birdmancer named Jawknee, before she kills them all. Season two battles Don the Psycho. Original here. 3D views: • ]] Donte is captured for Arfaas' program as Candi's group embarks on its exodus. Worse, Imaki is killed in the overpass. This leaves Candi and Dolly with only each other as friends in the world. They settle in Houston, and enroll at the University of Houston. Their first challenge comes in the form of defeating a serial rapist named Wayne the Vampire. The two of them end up joining forces with Team Jackrabbit to defeat Don the Psycho, resulting in the initial Sodality of Gerosha. When an assassin named Milp bests Darius Philippine, Dolly acquires an "Earwig" suit to help Candi fight back. Candi adopts the Ciem identity, and Jack starts wearing his own makeshift suit to hide his identity. They manage to defeat Milp, but then have to deal with Rockpapsci and the megalomaniac Cupric. The girls plot with Jack to save Miranda and Donte, but run into trouble when it's discovered that an AI backvisor by the Hebbleskins has been placed on Dolly's husband Jeraime. Not in his right mind, Jeraime becomes the killer Musaran. More brutal than the other villains, the team must gain help from a disturbed Jeral Cormier to tip the balance. Jeral agrees to use his "Botan" identity and powers to help the team out; but asks that they help him in his war on the Phaletori. Meanwhile, he discovers the Phaletori mean to kill his wife Emily. However, the team's battle with the Phaletori ends up taking a backseat when Duke Arfaas puts his plans into action. With Botan occupied batting Arfaas' machines, the others split up to save their loved ones. Ciem chases down Musaran, battling him to free Jeraime from his control. Dolly agrees to go after Donte, resulting in Emeraldon rejoining the team. Jack saves Miranda, and Arfaas' grand scheme fails catastrophically. As the now-stronger Sodality continues to put the pressure on the Hebbleskins' offensive, Chimerica invades Netheel and takes it over. The Hebbleskins lose their country, and go back to being outlaws. Arfaas swears revenge. However, the Phaletori arise as serious threat when they reveal they've been creating True Centhuens. Finally successful in reaching out to all of them, Rev. Wilbur Brocklyn officially instigates a ministry for Phexos and Marlquaanites that are without a church home following the destruction of their original hometowns. Season three Lex Philippine lends help to the team, resulting in an eventual crushing of the Phaletori. However, his contributions have short-lasting satisfaction. A madman named Captain Aardwulf escapes from Arfaas' control, taking with him a stolen radioactive device called the Ming-Yo. Miriam and her friends join forces with the Sodality to stop Capp Aard. Around the same time, the Sapphire King resurfaces as someone worth consideration. A short while later, Ciem and Emeraldon branch out on their own when Candi ends up pregnant. The two are married not long afterward. Laurie Pegol, deciding that life with the team is dangerous, officially resigns from the Sodality. Season four Duke Arfaas dies. Meanwhile, a corrupt Judge Terry Beliah has been rounding up Phexos and Marlquaanites and imprisoning them. It is revealed that he is doing this so he can instigate the liberal policies in Toklisana that destroyed America before it. He wants to prevent any heroes with a different worldview that might stop him. He also doesn't want it to get out that he sold his own daughter into sexual slavery in Asia, after molesting her himself. The heroes find themselves facing threats of capture, and begin an arms race to rescue the most powerful of their number before Beliah traps all of them in Marlquaanite prisons of suspended animation. As they soon discover through their new friends, the most powerful of all of them is Extirpon. However, rescuing him will also prove to be the most dangerous undertaking of all. On top of that, Extirpon's history of brutality has caused many nations on Earth to grow nervous at the prospect of his return. Other heroes appearing in this season include Navyrope, Pilltar, Strawberry, Hea Pang, and the Gray Champion. Cast logo.]] Note: This is not an exhaustive list, only an overview of the big names from Gerosha mythos that appear in the series. Main characters Heroes * Candi Flippo-Levens / Ciem: A graduate of Gerosha High and the Centhuen Prototype member of the Flippo family. She is 19-going-on-20, and is in love with Donte McArthur. She wants to help her remaining friends and family flee from persecution in Ameristan, so they can start over in Toklisana. Her godfather is training her to become the freedom fighter known as Ciem, so that she may utilize her centipede powers to keep her loved ones safe. Even if she makes it to Toklisana, she knows that she and her close connections will be under constant threat. The Ameristani regime would love nothing more than to see her obliterated, as she has subverted their absolute destruction of remnants of American culture in Ameristan. The Hebbleskin Gang wants her head for a trophy, with Duke Arfaas literally requesting as much, due to her being the daughter of Stan and Shalia Flippo. * Donte McArthur / Emeraldon: Candi's boyfriend. He is an Emwault, meaning he tends to glow a green color and absorb energy from the air around him. He can turn this feature off. However, possessing it allows him to fly. It gives him other abilities as well. He is around 24 years old. Much like Candi, he has witness the near-extinction of his entire family. While he shares Candi's enthusiasm about the two getting married one day, he does not share her enthusiasm with the thought of having children. He doesn't dread the idea of parenting; but he finds her excitement and the thought of it reckless. * Dolly Malestrom / The Earwig: One of Candi's allies in her struggles. Dolly is the wife of Jeraime Malestrom, a rancher and software technician who has developed Project: Musaran. She acquires an Earwig prototype suit to help Ciem defeat Milp, after Milp kills Darius Philippine. Dolly has a hot temper, and is very impulsive. When not in the Earwig suit, she can usually be seen sporting pigtails. She used to be a librarian, but her job was eradicated by the Ameristani regime. She was told by her mother to stay within the regime's graces and look for another job. Instead, she married Jeraime. When her husband was captured, Dolly swore to either get him back or avenge him. * Jack Mercreek / Jackrabbit: An Apache Phexo who is able to jump 2-1/2 stories. Like Candi, he is an archenemy of Don the Psycho. he also wants to rescue his girlfriend Miranda from Gunner Soorfelt, who has taken her to some facility somewhere in Toklisana to be executed on a later date. Miranda is the first woman he's ever cared enough about to commit himself to. He has a lengthy history of being a ladies man, and is flirty around the female members of his original team even though he doesn't actually want them. * Laurie Pegol: One of Candi's classmates, who discovers Candi's secret identity. She decides to join the team as base correspondence, and help them form alibis for their activities. She is generally very loyal to the team, though she is haunted by memories of her ex-fiance. * Imaki Izuki: A Japanese inventor with ties to the Phaelites. As Candi's godfather, he provides her with her Ciem suits and arsenal. He also provides her a place to live when Erin's health grows too dim. He also provides a home for Donte when Donte's mentor is killed. * Miriam Flippo / Sniperbadger: One of Candi's two triplet sisters. Unlike Candi, Miriam never developed centipede powers. She did, however, become an expert at hacking. She attempts before Candi's team to breach Arfaas and the Ameristani regime's "Wall," allowing several Toklisanans to flee captivity in Ameristan and find new homes. However, her venture is met with even worse luck than that of Candi's group. Miriam ends up being one of the few who make it across the border safely, and her boyfriend Phil Couric is killed during the escape attempt. She flees to Hong Kong, when she finds out the Hebbleskin Gang is building up operative there. She assumes the identity of "Haishui," and reports her findings to the Chinese Ministry of State Security. They gang-press her to a team of four agents, saying that "Sniperbadger" may have the hacking skills they need to counteract the Hebbleskins. He archenemy in this series turns out to be Melvin Markus, a hacker working for Duke Arfaas whose skills rival her own. While she does have a brief affair with one of her overseers, she eventually ends up in a relationship with scientist Steve McLaine. Miriam is viewed as the "bad girl" by members of her family. Not only do they find her hacking hobby questionable, but her choices of clothing and lifestyle are off-putting. They are especially turned off by her tattoos. Even Marina, who's technically been with more men, finds Miriam's tattoos embarrassing. Candi, not fond of them either, lets Miriam know that she loves her sister regardless. * Steve McLaine: A scientist living in exile in Hong Kong after Alaska seceded from the United States and was conquered by China. He wants to return to Alaska some day, but wonders if he'll ever get the chance. He and Miriam immediately develop an understanding of each other, and form a relationship. Steve is not as bitter as Miriam, often taking life from a more relaxed point of view. * Shing Xú / Black Rat: Head of a team of four agents sent to Hong Kong by the Chinese Ministry of State Security to monitor Hebbelskin Gang activity. While he does briefly seduce Miriam, he finds himself dating fellow agent Stung Hornet later on. He is a notorious womanizer, and used to be an alcoholic. However, his teammates helped him kick the habit. He is deadly with a pistol, and a fierce negotiator. His negotiations, depending on the situation, can get aggressive. He is highly pragmatic, though also loyal to his teammates. He is unsure what to think of Stung Hornet taking Miriam under her wing; but decides to go along with it. He is more accepting of Steve being on the team, as Steve's insights into Hebbleskin science prove useful. That Steve and Melvin Markus are archenemies provides the team with even more reason to band together. * Wen Dù / Tin Dragon: The Chinese agent with the most aggressive personality. Wen is easily agitated, and often prone to foul mood swings. He protects his teammates, but is often rude to them. He is a no-nonsense hard worker, and not afraid to use excessive force. He is the most annoyed by Steve and Miriam being on the team, fearing they'll prove to be the weak links. * Mingmei Chéng / Stung Hornet: One of the agency's most successful "Dirty Harriets." She eventually works fewer missions as a Mata Hari and more missions as an actual investigator, the more respect she gains within the agency. She has become something of a "Team Mom" to the Chinese agent team she is a part of, with Black Rat assuming the "Team Dad" role as he begins dating her. While a capable fighter and sharpshooter, she believes strongly in the expression that "you can trap more flies with honey than with vinegar." She wastes little time making Miriam into her protégée, a relationship that makes the hot-headed Tin Dragon very uncomfortable. * Chen Táng / Teal Hog: The fourth main agent in the quartet that take in Steve and Miriam. While somehow effective at dealing with cases, he is naive and clumsy. His innocent demeanor makes him the polar opposite of Tin Dragon in personality. Miriam begins to look up to him as a sort of big brother, albeit a goofy one. Stung Hornet frequently comes to his defense whenever higher-ups question his place on the team. * Phil Couric: Miriam's first boyfriend. He was a short and skinny black teenager who attended Gerosha High with Miriam, and was immediately taken in by her eccentricities. When none of the other boys in school seemed to treat her with any respect, he took the initiative to be her chivalrous knight. Miriam began to, in her mind, compare her relationship with him to Candi's relationship with Donte. However, Phil was no Donte. While Donte would be hesitant to ever use a gun, Phil preferred to keep one handy as often as he could get away with it. When breaching the Wall, he decided to play bodyguard for Miriam. She teased him that wearing a white tank top and defending her with a pistol in hand made him look like a stereotype. He laughed it off; saying that if a stereotype is what it took to keep her safe while she worked, then so be it. Alas, he is short-lived after helping her breach the wall. His murder is part of what inspires Miriam to flee into exile in Hong Kong. * Jeral Cormier / Botan the Plant-Man: Misunderstood and paranoid, Jeral was turned into a plant life manipulator by a rogue faction of Phaelites called the Phaletori. He joins Candi's team, hoping to gain her help in fighting off the Phaletori and Hebbleskins both. He is often panicky and at times unpredictable, often separating from the other teammates to do things his own way. This proves partially beneficial, since police trust him less than the other heroes. He fears his bad reputation will bring his teammates down. Otherwise, he is the second-most-powerful member of the team after Emeraldon. His insecurity has led him to rash actions, causing some in law enforcement to mistake him for a villain. He also tends to cause more property damage than all the others. One of the few things that offers him any comfort in life is his wife Emily. When the Phaletori abduct her; he personally declares war. His desire for revenge alarms even the impulsive, hot-headed Dolly. * Emily Cormier: Jeral's wife. She's a scientist who likes to dye her hair green. She is also one of the few unaltered human beings that he fully trusts. Her joining the team proves a valuable resource. She becomes the team's go-to scientist, the way Steve becomes the go-to for Miriam's team. * Miranda Kanla: Jack's girlfriend. His desire to rescue her from Don the Psycho becomes a driving force in the cat-and-mouse game between Jack and Don. After her rescue, she aids Laurie and Emily in handling the radio. When Laurie quits, Miranda takes over Laurie's spot. Villains * Duke Arfaas Hebbleskin: The elderly current global leader of the Hebbleskin Gang's operations on Earth. It was partially due to his predecessor, Fantisk Hebbleskin, that the Hebbleskins were banished from Meethlite society on Metheel and forced to operate on Earth. While friendly to approach directly, he runs a ruthless international criminal organization that produces its own private army of cyborgs and monsters. He capitalizes on the downfall of the United States, seizing a portion of it to create his own country. However, his overreach in trying to take out Toklisana proves his downfall. * Gunner Soorfelt: A Meethlite working for Arfaas. He is one of Arfaas' top hitmen, and has recently been assigned to kidnapping operations. Gunner is cold, calculating, and slightly sadistic. * Skellig Soorfelt: Gunner's excitable younger brother. He often works as a sidekick to Gunner, and lets his older brother be the brains of operations while handling the brawn. He doesn't share Gunner's classy sense of attire, preferring a more-modern gang-banger wardrobe. * Don "the Psycho" Mendoza: One of the chief villains in season one and parts of season two. He is assigned jobs similar to those given to Gunner. He does his work, however, with more of a sick sense of pleasure. He is known for killing defenseless and clueless civilians on a whim, and is a serial rapist on top of it. He figures out early-on that Jack the Jackrabbit is stalking him, and feigns ignorance to set a trap. He grows amused by the game of cat-and-mouse that develops. He deduces Ciem's secret identity rather quickly. Rather than blow her cover, he maintains the masquerade for the "fun" of it. He knows that Candi his haunted by memories of what he did to her at age 12. He uses this to his advantage, feeding his ego off her fear. He has been altered since he knew Candi in middle school. His skin is now silvery, and his eyes glow red. He dresses in a metallic blue trenchcoat and hat, similar to his Classic Gerosha appearance. His voice has also grown deeper. He moves at unnatural speeds, suggesting he underwent a similar transformation to that of Wayne the Vampire. * Jordan Reddlewick / Sapphire King: A blue-skinned Phexo. Unlike Donte, whose powers manifested properly, Jordan's became corrupted when they tried to stop one of Duke Arfaas' monsters together. As a result, Jordan had a hard time fitting in with human society. His inability to find a job led him to a life of petty crime. His blue suit and blue energy resulted in him adopting the moniker of "Sapphire King," to contrast with Donte's "Emeraldon." The two began as friends, but became rivals when Donte couldn't be convinced to join him in a life of crime. In spite their rivalry, the two have great respect for each other. Jordan bears no allegiances to anyone but himself. However, he's capable of teaming up with the heroes when he feels that the altruistic need to aid in fighting a greater evil outweighs whatever benefits he sees in his selfish ambitions. * Jeraime Malestrom / Musaran: Dolly's husband. He begins as a software engineer working on a means to build a cyborg weapon that will allow the Phaelites to deal with unruly Phexos. However, the plans for his "Project: Musaran" are stolen by the Hebbleskin Gang. Duke Arfaas orders him abducted, and attached to an AI backvisor set to utilize the project. He is turned into a shrew-themed assassin dubbed "Musaran," and sent specifically to wipe out Ciem and the gang in Houston. He becomes Arfaas' go-to unit for eradicating Centhuen Prototypes. His aggression rivals that of Dolly and Jeral, and he soon racks up a body count even higher than that of Don the Psycho. Beneath the AI, Jeraime is a prisoner. He prays for the chance to be liberated from the Musaran AI's control - even if it kills him. Once freed, he begins to go blind. He decides all the same to support Dolly and her new friends in all their endeavors. He views it as getting back at Arfaas for destroying his livelihood. * Rico Rodriguez / Lobe: A Meethexo werewolf. He is originally from a Mexican family. His family was killed by a drug kingpin, and he wants to avenge them. Arfaas recruits him and experiments on him with the promise to eventually grant him his wish. He uses his transformation to get revenge immediately. However, he decides to remain loyal to Arfaas afterward. He is not very bright. However, he is tough to beat. It takes Ciem and her allies several battles to finally defeat him. * Simon Ardvin / Captain Aardwulf: A madman Meethex that escapes from Arfaas' lab in deep southern Texas. He steals the Ming-Yo, and uses it to hold Toklisana and Chimerica hostage. His transformation causes him to crave eating termites, a side effect of being merged with an aardwolf and a hyena. He becomes the main antagonist of season three. The source animals he was merged with was due to Arfaas' team deciding to try it out. They were short on wolf DNA to use for the test, and tried aardwolf and hyena DNA as substitutes. * Victor Nanale: Leader of the Kerpher Gang. This band of ruthless pedophile sex traders becomes one of the major sources of conflict for Ciem to battle in season 2 in addition to dealing with the plot to save Donte. Victor is more efficient and intelligent of a villain in this version than he was in Classic and Comprehensive Geroshas, meaning it takes longer for Ciem and her friends to finally take him down. Guest characters Several other heroes and villains from chronologically-prior stories in the Cataclysmic Gerosha universe, along with reinterpreted versions of heroes and villains from previous universes, show up from time to time. Below is a partial list of the big names that appear. Several of the heroes end up merging with the core team to form the Sodality of Gerosha (SoG,) which fights for its own survival against Judge Beliah's efforts to have them all eliminated. Sodality of Gerosha heroes * Eric Stanley Opendi / Extirpon: One of the most powerful Marlquaanites that ever lived. He is an Emotion Eater, who gains his power from the pride and arrogance of his enemies. He has gone missing, and it becomes the heroes' goal in season four to retrieve him. In spite his power driving him to the brink of insanity, he becomes the only being powerful enough to save Toklisanans from the mad and corrupt political forces they face. When especially angry, he assumes the form of a rock-like being with magenta-glowing magma appearing through crevices. He develops glowing-blue eyes, and a devil-like voice. He is known for warping the fabric of reality itself, often to produce means of torturing and killing his victims in over-the-top ways. The thought of releasing him his viewed with extreme caution, just as one would be very careful about inviting Ghost Rider or Spawn to a fight. * Hea Pang: A single mother who bears possession of an artifact known as Hester's locket, which can forge Marlquaan bonds or take them away. She is primarily an ally of the Gray Champion, but possesses no powers herself. * Marge Ramirez / Mapacha: A "fire racoon"-themed woman who used to be a vigilante protecting Miami. She is revealed in Chillingworth's Revenge to be John Domeck's long-lost daughter. * John Domeck / The Gray Champion: A ghost mimicry-themed Marlquaanite who traveled through a time stream to end up in the 21st century. He was born in the 17th century, and first arrived in Boston. He is named after Hawthorne's protagonist, and has a few mannerisms typical of a Puritan from his original time period. He can transfer himself through electrical wires. While he can be hot-tempered at times, and does not hesitate to smite evil, he is also at times very understanding. He's also loyal to those he deems his friends. He is all-the-same considered extremely dangerous by the regimes of all four countries; but is not treated with the same fear and contempt as Extirpon. This is due to the fact that when he takes out an enemy target, he exercises a little more restraint. He is willing to work with Extirpon if pressed; though he finds Extirpon's appearance "slightly demonic and off-putting." In their fight against Judge Beliah, the two heroes have a shaky alliance. He prefers the company of Hea Pang, whom he's come to view as a granddaughter. He also prefers the company of Mapacha. * Ron Barrin / Pilltar II: Stephanie Barrin's father, who takes over piloting Pilltar following the death of Seth Lambrelli. His remote-control avatar is a silvery pill but that stands around 3 ft. tall. It is similar to the Hammeroids in Iron Man 2, except the pilot's mind is partially inside the machine being piloted, and the robot is Munchkin-sized with a beetle-like back. * Stephanie Barrin / Strawberry: Stephanie was an understudy of Seth Lambrelli, inventor of the Pilltar unit. She was part of a very strict denomination; but was kicked out of school for adopting a more compassionate attitude. She eventually became the pilot of Strawberry, a pink-colored version of Pilltar with blue rather than green optics. When not piloting Strawberry, Stephanie served as a base command consultant for Pilltar. She convinced her father to take over piloting Pilltar after Seth Lambrelli's death. * Charlotte Yamamura / Mukade: A Japanese Centhuen Prototype with similar powers to Ciem. She ends up studying abroad, when she meets and falls in love with a displaced Cajun named Kyle Freneti. The two of them end up assisting the Sodality of Gerosha in fighting Milp. However, they don't officially join the Sodality until Judge Beliah threatens to outlaw the existence of all Phexos. * Kyle Freneti / Meerkat: A Phexo with jumping abilities similar to those of Jackrabbit. Kyle is originally from New Orleans, and carries a Cajun accent. He is flirty like Jackrabbit too, but not as awkward about it. The fact that he is very hairy and blonde has led to him being referred to as "the Meerkat." He follows Charlotte into Texas to help the Sodality defeat Milp, who was one of Mukade's archenemies in Japan. * Vince Finton / Navyrope: A freedom fighter originally of Irish descent. He makes a home for himself in Oklahoma City. He began his career by exposing and putting a stop to kidnappings and forced abortions. His vigilante efforts to spare women from force and coercion earned him the ire of the UN and its Agenda 21 advocates. Planned Parenthood also lobbied to have him declared a public enemy, since his efforts cost their clinics money. After exposing a few corrupt CPS agents, that agency also came to view him as a threat. A massive campaign was started by MoveOn and other far-left agencies to have him branded a "terrorist." After he and his assistance Stephanie discredited the FPB, and also exposed an underground, government-backed black market for harvesting stolen organs, he became the target of a ginormous manhunt. While he aims as often as possible not to kill, he is treated by the Obama regime with the same contempt as was shown to V by the Norsefire Regime in Alan Moore's V for Vendetta. Instead of falling for Tiffany like V does for Evey, Navyrope views Tiffany as a niece or goddaughter. He was made immune to HIV due to the Marlquaanite storm that created the Gray Champion and Extirpon. However, this makes him prone to being trapped in a Marlquaanite prison. He becomes one of several heroes to become trapped in one and hidden somewhere in Chimerica. Beliah and his underlings plot an eventual mass public execution of captured Phexos and Marlquaanites, similar to the one Duke Arfaas had planned to host during his invasion of Houston. As it turns out, Beliah was once good friends with the villain Clarence Felick. Felick was notorious for killing his enemies by weaponizing HIV and infecting them. Therefore, Felick's defeat by Navyrope was something Beliah took very personally. * Tiffany Sterlie: Navyrope's sidekick. She started working for him after he saved her from her abusive ex-boyfriend, who was trying to abduct her and drag her at gunpoint into an abortion clinic. Due to her being a black conservative, which Beliah and company believe "should not logically exist," Beliah views her with special contempt. Miscellaneous villains * Eric Copperton / Cupric: A thief and small-time supervillain who uses copper-themed gadgets and commits crimes that involve copper. * Ronald Parslice / Rockpapsci: A highly-durable-skinned criminal and eco-terrorist who targets publishing firms and shuts them down in an effort to "save the trees." He is very prone to using knives and other sharp objects to defend himself with. Realizing his nature, he names himself "Rockpapsci" as a play on "rock, paper, scissors." * Jennifer Clankton / Jawknee: A young woman who was turned into an insane, green-feathered chicken monster. She has telepathic control of all birds, and commands them as her minions. She attacks and kills at random. The Meethlite scientists who created her were hoping more of her mind would survive the transformation, and that she might be of use to them. They were wrong. Her chicken side begins taking over, and becomes very aggressive. Her villain name is the result of how she tries to pronounce her original name of "Jenny" when her vowels start to resemble chicken clucks. She sounds absurd to those who haven't seen her; but proves deadly to many of those who have. * Wayne "the Vampire" Norfine: A cowardly sexual predator with a partial vampire transformation. He was engineered that way by the Phaelites, but switched sides to join Arfaas' army. In spite being more of a vampire than Don the Psycho, Wayne is a very unskilled fighter. He evades capture and defeat more by way of his effective evasive maneuvers than by anything else. He likes to rely on trickery to get out of situations that go wrong, rather than his brute strength. Even so, it only takes a few battles for the team to finally defeat him. * Kimiyato Hiriyama / Milp: A ninja assassin with millipede powers. She models her suit after stolen Ciem suit technology, which was acquired when one of Imaki's bases came under attack. She cannot take the whole team; but she does pride herself in fancying herself as the one who will kill Ciem for Arfaas. She ends up instead having a fierce personal rivalry with the Earwig. She tries to use psychological traps to get the best of Candi, and to get past her centuition. Kimi is originally from Japan, and had a brief affair with Duke Arfaas. She was trained for her job ever since the age of four, when she discovered she was a Meethexo. Her millipede abilities let her climb walls and spray caustic chemicals at her adversaries. She is also skilled with a sword. The supernatural elements of her Classic Gerosha counterpart, and her rivalry with Angie Levens, are nowhere to be found in this version. * Jeff the Invisible: One of many hitmen sent to assassinate Ciem and Emeraldon while they are still trapped in Ameristan. He has the unique ability to make himself partially invisible to the naked eye. Development Usage The term "sodality" as it applies to the Sodality of Gerosha is the social anthropology definition. Being a member means the following: # Belief in the general causes of Stan and Shalia Flippo. # Being a Phaelite, a Phexo, a Marlquaanite, or sympathetic to the mainstream Phaelite cause. The term is used in a more religious sense to refer to the pact that was formed by Imaki Izuki, Wilbur Brocklyn, and Rev. Tyler Kilmington to form a mission outreach to Phexos and Marlquaanites. Meethexos that renounce the Hebbleskin Gang are invited to join also. In regards to the Sodality of Gerosha, the term is used as a synonym for a league. This is because the word "league" was deemed unfavorable for usage in marketing Gerosha superheroes. Dozerfleet Comics markets its Gerosha heroes as the "Sodality of Gerosha," or "the Sodality" for short. This contrasts with Marvel having the Avengers, and DC having the Justice League. Premise The basic premise of this shelved series was developed over the course of five days, as the Dozerfleet founder sought to create an apocalyptic alternate history that took the best of previous attempts at The Gerosha Chronicles, and put it together in broad strokes in a single continuity. Inspired by shows like Doomsday Preppers and various dramas on the CW, Sodality re-envisions the Gerosha universe as a worst-case scenario of the United States becoming divided into four nations by the fallout of a second Obama term. The Dozerfleet Blog theorized before the 2012 elections that if Obama won a second term, that US would end up divided into an eastern half under Jihadist control and the west would fall under Chinese control. The two sides would battle for dominance. A website called The Tenth Harbinger alluded to a similar scenario of what could happen by 2018 - if the country steered too far off the "fiscal cliff." For purposes of this series, the Hebbleskin Gang was given a nation to the north and the Tea Party one to the south. It is revealed that in spite not entirely viewing the world through the same eyes, China considers Toklisana a lot more responsible with money and trade than the America it's descended from. Therefore, there is a shaky peace between the two. Feeling a sense of entitlement, China in this series is not above partially press-ganging talented Americans to work for its agencies. Therefore, Miriam and Steve end up working in Hong Kong for the Chinese government for a time. Meanwhile, both Toklisana and China, which controls "Chimerica," readily see that the Jihadist-controlled "Ameristan" as a serious threat. Radical Islam has often made itself known as a threat; and in this series, they're able to take their threat level to new heights. Critics of "islamophobia" are challenged directly, as it's revealed that Islamist regimes oppress their own civilians just as much as everyone else. Why is it oppression when anyone else does it, but somehow "not" when they do it? By allowing Arfaas and the Hebbleskin Gang their own country, even if only for a time, it is shown that they too can be dangerous. Public fear of them and what they can do seems more justified, as Arfaas appears considerably more competent in this continuity than in prior ones. Continuity Sodality creates a broad-strokes alternate history timeline for the US, illustrating the worst-case scenario of what could happen in real-world politics. After the Dozerfleet founder's sense of despair following the 2012 elections, much of Candi's lifestyle as previously described in every version of The Gerosha Chronicles prior to this one seemed highly doubtful. Ideas for exploring what could happen if critics of the Obama administration turn out to be right about nearly everything began to ooze out, and not even Stationery Voyagers was adequate for it. Therefore, nearly all post-2016 events in Comprehensive Gerosha were ruled null for the continuity of this series. The Flippo sisters While most items from previous continuities made it into this one, what's surprising are the items that were excluded. Denny Levens, for example, is never seen on screen. The inventor of Remotach pill technology, he dies before ever meeting Candi. Therefore, Candi decides to make up a story to rationalize changing her last name to Levens. As such, Denny effectively may as well not exist. And by extension, Angie was never conceived. The series' finale is to leave open-ended whether or not Charlie, John, and Dana will ever be born. Marina, true to tone, disappears before the story begins after marrying Matt. However, she is not seen actively involved with her sisters' lives after fleeing. Her fate appears to be unknown. As such, Andy's becoming the Pitohui is open for interpretation. Since Candi has so many new problems to face, given that this spans a TV series plot rather than a film trilogy plot, her old struggles with nymphomania are significantly toned down. They deal with the consequences of three slip-ups, instead of constant sex. They marry a short time after the third slip-up, realizing that they have no good reason to delay marriage further. Erin's fear of sex is more exaggerated, as she's revealed to be genuinely mentally ill due to a chemical imbalance in the brain. She immediately is suspicious of everything Candi and Miriam do with their boyfriends, and pressures the girls to move out based on the possibility of something happening. Miriam bemoans that like Marina, she deserves to be kicked out. She wonders how Candi can be so accepting of things, in spite the fact that Candi hadn't at that point made the same mistake. Candi as religiously/spiritually/morally-aware as she was in Classic Gerosha, whereas she was primarily sexually aware in Comprehensive Gerosha. The result is that Candi is able to carry herself with slightly more confidence, which she needs in order to function in this show's universe. Miriam's self-loathing from Comprehensive Gerosha carries over, but is not as extreme. Partially blaming herself for Phil's death, she flees to Hong Kong to start her life over. She finds that the Hebbleskin's influence reaches even that far, and vows to help Chinese officials put a stop to it. The new mission she develops in life leads to her meeting another exile: Steve McLaine. Their combined efforts to kick the Hebbleskins out of China gives their lives new focus. While they ultimately do end up conceiving Marie and Trina; they are given purposeful lives, that give them more to do than lie around a cabin and have sex all the time, as they did in Ciem 2. Sam Wrikon is still one of the Flippo sisters' ancestors, but his role is minimized. Meshaluta and her cult effectively don't exist, so the Meshalutian Trilogy does not directly affect anything in this series; nor is anything from that trilogy ever discussed. Emeraldon Donte's struggle to overcome his desire to consummate his relationship with Candi prematurely helps build him up as a character. Even though he ultimately fails, his greater initial success helps set him apart from his Comprehensive Gerosha counterpart. His desire to make Candi into family stems from his suffering the loss of his own family. However, his father Hector left behind a lot of secrets. The quest to know what those secrets were becomes another dimension to his character. Since he is active for longer in this continuity than in any other since Gerosha Prime, and never gets cancer like in the other versions; he is able to develop into a more-rounded character. He was predictably boring before that, an underdeveloped and somewhat shallow love interest for Candi. This show's design was intended to repair Emeraldon's reputation over those concerns. Abolition, a story which would have been necessary to tell for Comprehensive Gerosha, becomes part of the plot for season four of this series. Therefore, it cancels that project out. All prequels pertaining to the Meshalutian Trilogy are also negated by extension. Therefore, Vile Magenta Cloak and A Miner Named Sam are canceled projects. While Donte's origins do play a role in the series, there are still plans to make his origin tale Of Emeralds and Sapphires. However, Cataclysmic Gerosha calls for a re-design of the Emeraldon and Sapphire King outfits from the variations that they'd had ever since Classic Gerosha. The Ciem outfit, by contrast, remains mostly unchanged from its Comprehensive Gerosha design. Other Many characters' designs are similar to what they always have been, with only mild modification to fit the world of Sodality. An exception would be Don the Psycho, who receives a considerable overhaul both in appearance and in competency. He is mutated, making him more of a threat. His result is something between a Meethlite and a vampire, giving him red eyes and a silvery complexion underneath his blue trenchcoat. This is a far departure from his skull T-shirt-wearing, still flesh-toned Hispanic counterpart in Comprehensive Gerosha. The suit harkens back to the one he wore in the Ciem webcomic. It was decided that he had the potential to be an even more interesting nemesis for Ciem and her friends than Musaran or any of the other major villains from previous Ciem incarnations. While he is Ciem's enemy first and foremost, he also shares a rivalry with Jackrabbit. While on the same team, Don and Wayne are contrasts. Wayne's attempts to rape and terrorize Candi prove that he is an amateur, one reason he dies very quickly. Don laughs at this, using it as an opportunity to flaunt his superior tactics. Jack's appearance undergoes minimal change; but he's given more to do. While he still boasts of being a ladies man, he does more with his time than seduce women. He develops feelings for Candi, but the two decide not to pursue it. They want their original loves back, and don't wish to complicate matters with an actual affair. This contrasts with the way he seduces Candi following Denny's death in Vigilante Centipede, taking advantage of her need to have arms she can hold. Instead, he wants to become a track coach for the Olympics after leaving college. However, he fears he might not ever make it to college. His plans to enroll are halted when Don the Psycho invades Toklisana from Netheel. To stop Don, and find out what happened to his girlfriend, Jack embarks on a game of cat-and-mouse with the elusive villain. Making the characters an ensemble also proves beneficial. The plot is centered around the common goals of every protagonist, and on what happens as they seek to make good on those goals. The story centers most around Ciem, but is not exclusively about her. This was seen as a means of correcting a problem with every other Gerosha continuity: an over-focus on Ciem at the expense of not giving enough other characters enough interesting things to do. Name issues The series was originally going to be titled Ciem: Cataclysmic Horizons. However, the title was shortened to make Candi part of an ensemble cast. It soon became apparent that it wasn't just a story about Ciem; but a story about her friends equally so. It was also about a situation that engulfs and reshapes the destinies of all of them. Therefore, it was no longer deemed fair to have the title emphasize her exclusively. Taking a new direction with titling this version of Ciem mythos allowed for other characters to gain some more time for character development also, utilizing the vast array of characters in Candi's world in ways that had not been attempted in any past incarnation. The series itself shared a name with a message board that had no relation to it. After the trouble had been undertaken to re-define Gerosha mythology around Cataclysmic Gerosha, it seemed difficult to figure out another name. On April 30th of 2013, however, it was renamed Sodality to reflect that it is about how the Sodality of Gerosha came together. Schedule Writing is scheduled to begin after whenever "Essentials of Nativity" is completed as an episode of Stationery Voyagers. From there, the first episode of Catclysmic Horizons is to be written concurrently with "What Must Happen". Episodes from this show and episodes of Voyagers are set to be written in cycles, until the first seasons of both are completed. Visuals Sodality establishes many firsts in the history of Dozerfleet Comics. It is the first series to use concept art stills that, on a regular basis, utilize parallax anaglyphs to produce native 3D. While much of the concept art utilizes The Sims 3 like Comprehensive Gerosha, this new narrative is the basis for Cataclysmic Gerosha. The alternate universe allows room for other models, not just Sims. Some art for the Ciem novel trilogy was going to use models generated with MakeHuman 3D Alpha Build 6.0. This series is able to take advantage of MakeHuman 3D Alpha Build 7, which introduced models with clothes and hairstyles available for experimentation. Another first with this series is that it is the first to take full advantage of DeviantArt as a storehouse for concept art. The benefits of networking on DeviantArt have yielded several artists willing to contribute artwork of theirs to provide conceptual visuals for the series; asking only for promotion of their profiles and portfolios in exchange for the use of their work. The greatest benefit of that has been finding images of models that somewhat resemble cast and characters, providing actual photographic references for casting. The first character to receive this treatment was Stung Hornet, portrayed by an ethnically-Asian model. Photographer Maleica eventually supplied other images that, once altered slightly in Photoshop, provided other characters with photo references. Candi received a photographic model immediately following Stung Hornet. This led to the same model in his stock being used in other photos for Miriam and Marina. However, Candi's Ciem suit remains a construction in The Sims 3 and MakeHuman 3D. Several cosplay artists have been offered the chance to build their own Ciem suits, in exchange for promotion of their work. See also * Candi Levens (Cataclysmic Gerosha): The version of Ciem specific to this series. * Ciem: the generic character * The Gerosha Chronicles: What Sodality is a part of. * Stationery Voyagers: A similar series also in Dozerfleet Comics. External links * 2D concept art collection at DeviantArt * Red-Cyan 3D concept art collection at DeviantArt * Green-Magenta 3D concept art collection at DeviantArt * Confirmation of name change at The Dozerfleet Blog Category: Projects from 2013 Category: Shelved projects Category: Sodality Category: Ciem media